Mary Schieffer had been described by her friends as a strong and passionate person, not only as a talented athlete, but also as an individual. Schieffer, a former student at the University, died March 17 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was 20.
“She was very strong-willed and opinionated,” said Sharon Schieffer, her mother. “She was the kind of person people looked to for inspiration and support.”
Doctors diagnosed Schieffer with ovarian cancer when she was only 17 years old in December 2000. After surgical removal of the tumor, she continued school and graduated from Springfield High School in 2000, and enrolled in the University fall term of that year.
One of Schieffer’s closest friends was Amber Clasen-Copely, a fellow student she met in a FIG freshman year.
“Mary was a really positive, enjoyable person. She was very intelligent. She loved sunflowers and fruit smoothies,” Clasen-Copely said.
Schieffer was an active tennis player and a member of the United States Tennis Association. After enrolling in a tennis course during the spring of 2002, she began experiencing upper leg pain from what she believed to be a sport-related injury. During the summer, doctors discovered the tumor had returned. Schieffer went into treatment and was unable to return to the University for fall term. Kelly Ochoco, a graduate teaching fellow who taught Schieffer’s Writing 121 class, said this was frustrating for Schieffer.
“She wanted to go to college so much and it was hard for her to accept not being able to go,” said Ochoco. “It was important for her to come back.”
Clasen-Copely remembered Schieffer as being interested in history and talking about one day becoming a history professor. One of the things Clasen-Copely recalls most about Schieffer is her passion for all things athletic.
“She was a real lover of all sports — a real Duck fan,” Clasen-Copely said.
Schieffer was able to return to the University for winter term for four weeks, but her illness forced her to drop out.
Schieffer’s last weeks were made brighter by a visit from former Duck quarterback and Detroit Lions quarterback Joey Harrington.
“She was really nervous but she had the biggest smile,” said Sharon Schieffer. “It really made her day.”
Sharon Schieffer also said a focal point in her daughter’s life was her love of animals. Her two closest and most beloved siblings were her two large cats, Cody and William. She added her daughter requested any donations in her name be made to the Greenhill Humane Society.